Excitation and Emission of Argon behind the Front of Shock Waves at Velocities of 4.5–7.8 km/s: I. The Experimental Study

The paper presents experimental data on the emission of pure argon behind the front of a strong shock wave in a range of velocities of 4.5–7.8 km/s and the pressures ahead of the wave front of 0.25–5 Torr. Time integral sweeps of the radiation (panoramic spectra) as well as temporal dependences of the emission intensity of argon for wavelengths of 315, 420, 532.8, 696.5, and 738 nm in absolute units are given. Information is acquired on the delay time and rate of growth in the emission and its maximum intensity depending on the velocity of the shock wave. The above experimental data make it possible to construct more accurate kinetic models of nonequilibrium ionization and radiation processes behind the front of a shock wave.